


13. Boyfriend

by Whityy93



Series: 100 Prompts Challenge [13]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Bane Chronicles - Sarah Rees Brennan & Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson, The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Angst with a Happy Ending, Boys In Love, Doctor Magnus Bane, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Good Boyfriend Magnus Bane, Good Parent Maryse Lightwood, Good Parent Robert Lightwood, Lawyer Alec Lightwood, Love Conquers All, M/M, Malec, Marriage Proposal, Mentions of Cancer, Same-Sex Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 08:02:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14869853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whityy93/pseuds/Whityy93
Summary: At first, it wasn’t that bad. Alexander came down with something, nothing major, or so it seemed.There was some light coughing, he felt a bit nauseous, didn’t really have an appetite, but it didn’t appear to be something to worry about. Probably just a cold, maybe a little prolonged due to the stress he had in law school and at work.But after a month, the symptoms hadn’t stopped and Alec and his boyfriend had started to worry, so Magnus had made an appointment with a pneumologist he knew from the hospital he worked in.





	13. Boyfriend

At first, it wasn’t that bad. Alexander came down with a cough, nothing major, or so it seemed. There was some light coughing, he felt a bit nauseous, didn’t really have an appetite, but it didn’t appear to be something to worry about. Probably just a cold, maybe a little prolonged due to the stress he had in law school and at work. But after a month, the symptoms hadn’t stopped and Alec and his boyfriend had started to worry, so Magnus had made an appointment with a pneumologist he knew from the hospital he worked in.

Alexander was 25 years old and a healthy, athletic and good looking guy. He was in his second year in law school and worked in a small book shop part time to cover his expenses and school fees. He had really good friends and his sister Isabelle and him were very close. But most importantly, Alec was sharing a flat with the love of his life, Magnus.

They had met in their first year of college, and they both had been smitten after the first glance they took at each other. They had both started their education at the San Diego State University, Alec had been an undergrad law student and Magnus had been in the pre-med program, also working as a nurse in the town’s hospital. 

Even though Alec had still been in the closet at that time, they had started dating after a couple months of knowing each other. Alec’s roommate Jace had been the first person to find out about them, coming home to them making out on Alexander’s bed. It had been simultaneously the most wonderful and terrifying moment in Alec’s life. But Jace, as well as their other friends, had been totally supportive of the relationship, because everyone knew it made the two man happier.

Now, way into their fifth year of dating, Alec was sure that Magnus was the man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He and his sister had actually been looking at engagement rings a couple month back, because Alec wanted to surprise his boyfriend with a proposal for their six year anniversary.

Their journey together hadn’t always been an easy one. Especially when they had to separate for the first time. It was after their first year of college and Alec had promised his parents that he would come home, while Magnus stayed in San Diego with his family.

Immediately after getting home from the airport, Alec had told Isabelle about Magnus and how happy he made him. She had known that this decision to come out as gay would probably change her brother and his life forever, but she had promised him that she would always be there for him.

They had grown up in a very small, very religious town in Texas and their parents were very active in their local church. Ever since he could remember, he had been told that being anything else but heterosexual was wrong, sinful and disgusting. Being brought up that way had left deep scars on Alec, especially when he realized he did not fit into his parents’ standards.

Before going to college, Alec had always assumed he would just marry a girl his parents choose for him, have a couple children and work as a lawyer for the rest of his life. He had never dreamed or even hoped to find the happiness he had found with Magnus. 

It had taken Alec another three weeks to finally gather the courage to sit down with his parents and tell them about his relationship. To say they were shocked would have been an understatement. His father was furious, screaming and even throwing one of his wife’s decorative plates into the fire place of their living room. Alec had never felt so small in his whole life. All he could do was sit there and take whatever his father metaphorically threw at him.

His mother had mostly been quiet and had let her husband’s anger rain over Alec. But afterwards, after Robert had articulated his refusal to ever talk to his son again and stormed out of the room, she had sat down next to Alec and embraced him. She had told him how much she loved him and how proud she was of him, but also that his father would not likely be accepting his sexuality. But she, just like Isabelle, had promised to be there for him.

His father had not talked to him for the last five years, and Alec and Isabelle hadn’t been back in their home town very often after she had finally moved out to San Diego to also attend SDSU with Magnus and her brother. 

Alec talked to his mother on the phone a couple times a week and she had even come to visit him and Magnus a couple times after they had moved in together. Maryse Lightwood was actually very fond of her son’s boyfriend, which was why she wasn’t surprised when on a random Monday in January, he called her.

“Magnus, what a pleasure. How are you doing?”

“Hello Maryse”, Magnus answered, voice small and hoarse.

“Are you alright? You sound like you have been crying. Is Alexander okay?”

Maryse was truly worried. Magnus was always a ray of sunshine, even after a hard shift at the hospital. She had never seen him in a bad mood. It was something she liked about the young man, while her own son could be a little pessimistic sometimes, Magnus always saw the positive side of things first.

“Maryse, I took Alexander to a doctor today, he’s someone that I work with. We thought Alec had an obstinate cold or something, he’s been out of breath often lately and had a cough for the last month, but as it turns out, it’s- It’s much worse Maryse. And Alexander and I would like you to have you here to go over the details of what we are going to do now.”

Alec’s mother could hear the voice of her son’s significant other shaking and trembling. She felt tears gathering in her eyes, but asked softly, almost inaudibly: “Magnus, what is wrong with my son?”

“It’s a form of lung cancer, Maryse. We don’t know any details yet, but they found a tumor in his right lung during the MRI scan. Alec really needs you here. It’s… It’s not looking so good and I...”

Magnus’ voice broke at the end of the sentence and she could hear him crying on the other end of the line.

“Oh dear lord. My beautiful baby boy… Robert and I will take the next plane possible, Magnus. We’ll be there as soon as we can.. You watch after my boy for now, okay? He needs you right now.”

“Yeah, Izzy and I are already at the hospital. We’ll wait for you guys. See you soon, okay?”

“See you soon Magnus.”, Maryse answered and ended the phone call, only to call her husband’s number.

When Magnus hung up he put his phone away and re-entered the room that his boyfriend was currently in. Isabelle was sitting by his side on the bed, holding his hand.  
Magnus had never seen Alexander so quiet and broken. Not when he got back from his summer vacation after their first year of college, three weeks early, because he couldn’t  
stand being in the same house as his father anymore. 

Not even during the following Christmas break when his father still refused to acknowledge his presence and Alec had called Magnus, crying and sobbing, to ask him to pick him up at the airport on Christmas day. His father had not only ignored him, but had also not given him the opportunity to go to church with them on Christmas eve. Robert had taken his wife and daughter to an earlier worship than normal, just so that Alec didn’t have a chance to go with them.

But even after all that, Alec had never been like this. The dark haired man looked so lost that Magnus couldn’t do anything but going to him, standing in between his legs that hung over the bed’s edge, and hug him tightly to his chest. Alexander put his arms around Magnus’ waist and put his head in the crook of the other man’s neck. Magus felt the wetness hit his skin as soon as Alec placed his head there.

“Your parents are on their way, love.”

“Thank you for calling mom” was all Alec managed to say before he broke down sobbing. 

All Magnus and Isabelle could do for the next twelve hours was to be by Alec’s side when he wasn’t being examined or tested. They took swaps sleeping on one of the two other beds that were provided in Alec’s three person hospital room that, thankfully, was currently empty other than them.

Maryse and Robert arrived in the early morning on the next day, just as Magnus had gone out to get some coffee and news on Alec’s condition. 

Maryse stormed into the room and was at her son’s side in a couple of seconds. After hugging Alexander, Maryse moved on to hug her daughter, who was sitting by her brother’s side. Robert stood a little further away from his family, but when Alexander looked at him, he got closer and laid his hand in his son’s shoulder.

“We’re going to get through this, Alexander. Together. I promise”, was all he said before both men broke down into tears, hugging each other close.

That was the moment Magnus decided to make an entrance. When he saw Alec hugging an older man and crying, he stood very still. He recognized Maryse, so he figured that the man with his boyfriend had to be Robert. 

“Magnus!”, Maryse had seen him and came over to hug him tightly. Magnus could feel the older man’s gaze on him and it made him quite uncomfortable. He decided that all he could do is kill this man with kindness.

“Hey Maryse. Thank you for coming here so fast. And you must be Mr. Lightwood. Nice to meet you, sir.”, he said and held out a hand to his boyfriend’s father.

Against any expectations, Robert came over, took his hand and shook it.

“Robert is just fine. You must be Magnus. I am so sorry that we are only meeting under these kind of circumstances. And I am very sorry for how I treated you and Alexander over the last few years.”

“Well, circumstances aside, I am really grateful that you made that step towards us”, Magnus smiled at the older man.

“What’s the status with Alec anyway? Did you talk to the doctors?”, Isabelle asked.

“Well, Elias should be here any minute, his shift just started. He is the pneumologist who took Alexander’s case and he is also a friend of mine. He can update us on the test results”, Magnus said, making his way over to his boyfriends hospital bed. 

Alec shifted to the side a little, making room for the other boy and reached out to take Magnus’s hand. Magnus sat down and took his hand while Robert took the remaining chair and Maryse settled onto the bed next to her sons.

They started to make a little bit of small-talk, but abruptly stopped when the doctor entered the room.

“Ah, I see your parents have arrived, Alexander. Great, we just got in the results of the blood work and screenings we did yesterday”, the doctor, Elias, said, shaking hands with Robert and Maryse.

“As we already predicted, Alexander has a tumor in his right lung. It’s quite big, but luckily we couldn’t find any metastases in the lymph nodes, so we think that it is still early enough. But that also means we have to start the chemo therapy as soon as possible. If the tumor shrinks down enough after the first therapy, we can easily remove it in an operation, if not, we start another chemo therapy”, Elias continued.

“That is good news, guys”, Magnus said smiling a little. “It could have been way worse. Studies show that stage two lung cancer patients, as you are Alexander, have very, very good chances for a complete recovery.”

“Magnus is right. The only problem is that treatments like this are very expensive, and Alexander does not have a health insurance.” 

Everyone in the room suddenly looked at Alec, except for Magnus, who was still looking at Elias. He had known about that problem, and he had already called his boss to offer taking some extra shifts to cover at least some costs.

“What? Alexander, why don’t you have an insurance?”

Maryse and Robert looked at their son in total disbelief. Alexander had been insured through them until he turned 21, and they had thought that their son, being a reasonable adult, would then insure himself afterwards.

“Mom, Dad, please. I didn’t… Well, I didn’t think I would really need one until I finished school. And I also, well I couldn’t really afford it. Magnus and I both work part time but with school fees and rent and stuff we more often than not barely make it through the month as it is… He is of course insured through the hospital, but I thought I’d save that money  
until I could afford it.”

Alec pulled his legs up to his chest and hugged them close, putting his chin on top of his knees. Magnus laid his arm around his boyfriend. He could sense that Alec was close to his breaking point and if there was one thing his boyfriend hated, it was showing weakness in front of other people. And that also included his family.

“Darling, it’s going to be alright. We can do this”, Magnus said and kissed his boyfriends cheek. He knew that he was probably pushing it with Robert still there, but he hoped his boyfriend’s dad would be busy thinking about his son’s health more than his relationship. And, if he was being totally honest, he didn’t really care what the other man thought of him. He still hadn’t forgiven him for all the years of mistreating his son and he didn’t plan to anytime soon.

“Magnus is right, Alexander. Your father and I have some savings, and we can probably get a credit from the bank as well. The important thing is that you get well again as soon as possible”, Maryse said, smiling at her son. Robert nodded and stood up from his chair.

“Mom, I can’t accept that. It is your money, I can’t…”, Alec began to argue, but was interrupted almost immediately.

“Nonsense, Alexander. You’re are our son”, Robert said, ruffling Alec’s hair slightly. “Nothing is more important than your health.”  
He turned to Elias and asked: “When can you start the treatment? We’ll make sure everything gets paid for.”

Elias smiled at Robert and nodded. 

“Of course, Mr. Lightwood. We can start the treatment at the end of the week, but for now, Alexander can go home. We will need him back here tomorrow for a consultation with our chemo therapy specialist. If everything goes according to plan, Alexander could have his port the day after tomorrow and then we can start the therapy on Friday.”

“Thanks Doctor”, Robert responded. Elias nodded, smiled and then left the family alone in the hospital room. There was a long silence before Magnus spoke.

“Well, let’s get you out of here then, Alec. We should probably get some breakfast into you. Let’s get your favorite, okay?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Mom? Dad? Will you be joining us?”

Alec looked up at his parents expectantly, but Maryse shook her head.

“Sorry dear, but we have to find a hotel for tonight. We came here directly from the airport and didn’t have time to book anything before we came. But how about dinner? That would be lovely.”

They agreed to meet for dinner later that evening and all went their separate ways. Robert and Maryse went on the search for a hotel for the next week, because they wanted to stay in town at least until Alec had his first treatment session.

Isabelle had to meet some college friends and her boyfriend Simon to plan a presentation, but promised her brother that she would be having dinner with all of them later if it was possible.

Magnus and Alec went home to their flat, picking up breakfast on the way. Both had stayed in the hospital overnight, not really getting a good night sleep, so they decided to have a shower and then have a chill day on the couch. Neither of them was in the mood to work on school stuff and Magnus had been given the day off from his hospital shift.

So, when they were both showered and fed, they turned on the TV and started to watch a movie. They weren’t really watching it, though. Both men were caught up in their thoughts and replayed the day in their minds over and over again.

Alexander had tried to act like everything was fine when his parents and sister were still around, but it was way harder to keep that facade up around his boyfriend. He just knew him too well and when they had settled down, Magnus lying on his back, Alexander upright against the back of the couch, he could feel Magnus’ gaze on him. It took a minute or so until Magnus finally found his voice.

“Darling, we need to..”

“I know, Mags. We need to talk. But…”

Alexander turned towards his boyfriend, tears threatening to spill from his hazel eyes. Magnus laid a hand on his cheek, caressing it lovingly, and smiled sadly at his lover.

“I know. All I want to do right now is to cuddle with you, be in our own little world and forget about all our problems. But you know that we can’t do that, darling.”

“Yeah, I do”, Alec sighed.

Alexander laid down next to Magnus and put his head on the other man’s chest. His boyfriend started stroking his hair and Alec could feel the tears fall. Finally, he could let everything out. He cried for what seemed like hours. He cried because he was afraid, he cried because he felt guilty, he cried because is all was so unfair. 

He was 25, he shouldn’t have to deal with fucking lung cancer. He should be going to school, getting together with friends for fun, should get drunk and party, make love to his incredible boyfriend and live life to the fullest. He should be doing everything, anything but this.

“Babe, we are going to be okay. You can do this. I know you can. Remember, there is nothing you and me can’t get through, as long as we’re together.”

They continued to stay in this position long after Alec’s tears had ebbed away. Magnus was whispering sweet nothings to him, kissing his hair and stroking his back. They ended up postponing the dinner with Isabelle and Alec’s parents because neither of them felt like having company. Just for that moment, they were all the other person needed.

Alexander started his chemo therapy on Friday morning, just four days after his initial diagnosis. He had gotten his port two days earlier after the talk with Doctor Nilsen, the chemo therapy specialist. They had decided on an intravenous administration through the port that was implanted into Alec’s left shoulder, right underneath the outer end of his collarbone.

Earlier that week, Alec had also quit his job at the book store and called his law school to inform them that he wouldn’t be attending anymore for at least a semester due to illness. 

The process of getting chemo therapy itself was not even very painful, just a needle being inserted into the port. He had to stay in the hospital another hour afterwards, for a few tests on his blood and to see how he took the treatment physically. 

When he was free to leave, he headed straight home. Magnus was working a shift and had classes after that, so his parents kept him company for a little while. Dr. Nilsen had told him that it would probably take ten to twelve hours until he would feel the side effects of the medication. It had only been six hours by the time Magnus came home, but Alec was already feeling like shit.

His parents excused themselves a little while after Magnus got home, because they knew their son needed the rest and they were also sure his boyfriend would take care of him. 

It took a couple more hours for the side effects to really kick in, but by the time they had had dinner and wanted to watch a TV show, Alexander was feeling sick and dizzy. Not long after the feeling settled in, Alec made a run for the bathroom and emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

Magnus, who followed him into the bathroom, rubbed Alexander’s back comfortingly. After the dark haired man had stopped gagging, Magnus gave him a toothbrush and some toothpaste and stood next to his boyfriend while he brushed his teeth. They went back to the living room and finally to bed, however Alec threw up two more times before his body was just too tired and finally drifted into a somewhat peaceful sleep.

It became their routine for the next couple of weeks. Alec would spent most days at home, learning for school when he had a good day and just laying around watching movies when it was a bad one. There were more bad days than good ones, because he got chemo therapy every three days and the rest of that day and the day afterwards were the worst.

When Magnus had classes or a shift on those days, Isabelle or Jace would keep Alec company and entertained, as long as he was feeling up to it. His parents visited every other weekend to talk to the doctors, pay his bills and check up on their son in general.

Alexander put on a brave face for the most time, but especially the days after his treatments were difficult. He was barely able to keep food down, felt sick most of the time and still threw up at least two times a day. It was hard for everyone to see him like that. He had lost a lot of weight and had dark shadows under his eyes. He was also grumpy most of the time, just because he couldn’t do anything against how bad he felt and because he wasn’t able to pursue the things he loved doing.

The good days, the days right before the next treatment, were better. Alec would laugh more, feel better and be nicer to everyone. Those days were Magnus’ favorites and he made sure that he had nothing to do other than spending time with his boyfriend. His colleagues were luckily super understanding of his situation and made sure to swap shifts with him whenever it was possible.

It was on one of those good days, two months into the chemo therapy, that Alec noticed strands of his normally thick, raven black hair, falling out. His doctors had warned him that it could be a side effect of the treatment, but he wasn’t ready for it in any way.

Of course, he had noticed the other differences in his body. He had probably noticed before everyone else, simply because he had been waiting for them to happen. Now, he saw his sunken cheeks and the dark circles under his eyes. Saw how his body went from athletically muscled to bony in a couple of weeks. Not only did he feel weak, but he also felt unattractive and disgusting. 

He knew it wasn’t what his boyfriend thought, but he couldn’t help himself. He hadn’t allowed Magnus to touch him in any sexual kind for at least four weeks. Or had it been even longer? Alec couldn’t remember. His days were filled with hospital visits, puking and spending time on the couch or in bed because he was too weak to get up. He hated it. Not just being sick, but also having to rely on so many people on a day to day basis.

“Alec? Are you alright in there?”, Magnus asked while knocking on the bathroom door.

“Yeah, come in, please.”

Magnus entered the room and saw Alexander standing over the sink which was filled with strands of his dark hair. He gulped. He knew this would happen, he had learned all about cancer and chemo therapy in med school. But seeing it happen, especially on someone you love, was a whole different thing.

“I think I need you to shave it, babe”, Alec said without much emotion in his voice.

“What?”

“I want to shave it all off before it falls out on its own. Make a clear cut I guess. Pun intended.”

Alec shrugged and smiled a little. Magnus grinned back at him and grabbed the electric razor from the drawer next to him. After he had shaved Alec’s head, he caressed the skin lovingly, looking into Alec’s eyes.

“Still as beautiful as the day I met you”, he said and placed a soft kiss on his boyfriend’s forehead.

“Just not as young. And not as healthy.”

“You are half way through with your treatment today. I thought we could celebrate that a little”, Magnus smiled, being unable to stop touching the other man’s scalp. It felt weird, but in a god way.

“We have more to celebrate than just that. Or did you forget?”

“Did I forget what?”, Magnus asked.

Alexander stood up from the stool they had brought into the bathroom to shave his head and headed to their bedroom, to the dresser they only used for bedsheets and towels.

“Is it change-the-sheets-day, darling?”, Magnus laughed, but Alec pulled out something small and put it into the pocket of his jeans.

“No. Today is March 22. It’s the day we went to our first date, six years ago. I bet you still remember how embarrassingly nervous I was. Happy anniversary, baby.”

Magnus could have hit himself right then and there. He had totally forgotten about their anniversary. Between the chemo therapy and school and his extra shifts in the hospital to earn some extra money, he had completely forgotten they were in the month of march already.

“God, I am so stupid. And you were so much more than nervous, you were terrified! I totally forgot what day it was. I am so sorry baby. Happy anniversary!”

They shared a sweet kiss, before Alexander made Magnus sit down onto the bed, while he remained standing.

“I wanted to thank you, for getting through this with me. I know, I know, you’ll say it’s nothing, but it seriously means the world to me to have you by my side. I love you so much.”

“And I love you, darling.” 

“I know this isn’t the best possible timing, and I know that maybe I should wait, but honestly, I don’t want to. In the last couple weeks I realized that life can be over way too quickly. And that we should really live for the moments we get together. So, here it goes.”

Alec took his time to get down on one knee and pull the small box out of his pocket. He smiled and looked at Magnus, who was totally frozen and couldn’t believe this was really happening. 

“Mags, I loved you from the moment I saw you. You are everything to me. And especially in the last two month, you were my anchor and my solace. So, will you do me the honor and marry me?”

While talking, he opened the box and showed his boyfriend the beautiful, but simple and elegant ring. Alec had tears in his eyes, and so did Magnus. They had been waiting for this moment for a long time, even though they wouldn’t admit it. Magnus couldn’t find his words, so he just nodded his head instead. They shared a sweet kiss and also some tears while Alexander slipped the ring onto his fiancés hand.

Six months later, on the anniversary of their first meeting, Alexander was nervously adjusting his tie. He was standing in his childhood room, wearing a black tuxedo and his new grown hair was styled in an effortlessly elegant way. 

His chemo therapy had ended almost three months ago and he was finally gaining some weight back again. It had taken him some time to recover, especially after the operation that finally removed the tumor from his lung, but he was getting stronger every day. His dark circles were still prominent, but Isabelle had covered them up for him. Alexander normally didn’t wear make-up, but it was a special occasion after all.

It was the day of his and Magnus’ wedding. Alec still couldn’t believe that they had gotten through the whole cancer mess and were still together. And they were stronger than ever. Even if there had been a tiny voice in his head that had awoken some doubts about the whole marriage thing, those voices had never made an appearance again after he had slipped that ring onto Magnus’ finger.

“Alec? You ready?”, Isabelle poked her head through the door and grinned at her brother.

“Well, didn’t you clean up nicely? Mags will be losing it when he sees you!”, she squealed.

“I damn sure hope so!”, Alec laughed and followed his sister down the steps. Their parents were already waiting, so they quickly got into the car and drove to the church.

Standing at the altar and waiting for Magnus to walk in, Alec felt as happy and grateful as he had ever felt in his whole life. The only moment that felt even better was when he got to kiss his husband for the first time.


End file.
